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Thursday, 1 September 2005, 17:03 GMT 18:03 UK

The lowdown on penalties

Argentina score a penalty against Mexico

Any tackle in the penalty box is risky and when that whistle blows it's heart-sinking time.

So what is a penalty?

It's the result of any foul which would normally lead to a direct free-kick that is committed by a team inside their own penalty area.

The player gets a shot at goal from 12 yards out.

The rules of a penalty are that:

The goalkeeper can move sideways before the kick is taken but must stay on his goal line

All the other players must stand outside the penalty box and cannot enter the area until the ball has been kicked

The kicker cannot touch the ball a second time until it has been touched by another player

If the referee spots a team-mate of the kicker entering the area before the kick is taken, he can a) order the penalty to be retaken if the penalty is scored, or b) if the penalty is missed, the defending team get an indirect free-kick

If a defender moves into the area and the penalty is missed then the penalty is again retaken

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